Dormont officials deny link to call for mayor's impeachment

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More than 100 people filled the Dormont municipal gymnasium on Monday night to rail against the borough council and an anonymous flier calling for the mayor's impeachment.

Council President Kim Lusardi said she e-mailed and called all members of council after "Impeach Mayor Tom Lloyd" fliers arrived in mailboxes Saturday, and all denied involvement.

"We have had nothing to do with that, and we will move on," she said.

"I am absolutely opposed to the mailers," Councilman Drew Lehman said. "These could have been sent out by anyone in the United States."

The flier alleged excessive police overtime had occurred under Lloyd, called his order to disconnect tracking devices in police cars illegal and questioned his practice of dismissing parking tickets.

But if the writers hoped to turn out critics of Lloyd's 18-year tenure, the mailing had the opposite effect. Many in the gym wore red to support Lloyd and cheered when one resident shredded the flier and tossed pieces at each council member.

"If we find out that anybody within the borough had anything to do with this, would you resign• If it were an employee, would they be terminated?" said resident Darlene Davis. She got no audible answer amid the whooping of the crowd.

Resident Ryan Kelley said the mailers, which bore neither a return address nor phone number, violated election law, and said he had filed complaints with the state and federal election commissions.

Ruth Ann Bougher was one of a few who spoke in support of council, insisting over some dissent from the audience that they were doing what they could to rein in spending.

"These people are not weak; they're addressing issues head-on," she said. "The mayor is not always right. The mob is not always right."

Borough Solicitor Deron Gabriel said that he did not know of any procedure for impeaching an elected official in Pennsylvania and that council had not asked him to look into it.

Lloyd thanked his supporters and offered no apologies for some of the allegations on the fliers. He had the county looking into who has control and monitoring power over police cars and said he would continue to dismiss certain parking tickets.

"I have certain guidelines I go by, and as long as I sit in this chair, I will continue to do that," he said.

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